SCI FI Channel Names Howe President

NEW YORK, January 17: Dave Howe, currently the general
manager and executive VP of SCI FI Channel, has been named president of the NBC
Universal-owned network.

Howe will oversee original development, programming and
marketing, global brand strategy and market development, strategic planning,
media relations and SCI FI’s recently launched public affairs initiative,
Visions for Tomorrow. He will also oversee SCI FI Magazine and SCI FI Digital,
the division that operates SCIFI.COM, SCI FI Pulse and DVICE.com.

Additionally, Howe is tasked with launching a new global
brand identity for SCI FI and driving the brand’s expansion and diversification
strategy beyond broadcast and digital media. The company has plans to expand
into new areas such as video gaming, mobile, licensing and merchandising and
the youth market.

Since being appointed the channel’s general manager and
executive VP in July 2004, Howe has overseen the launch of programming such as Tin
Man, which was the channel’s most-watched
telecast in its history, and Battlestar Galactica. He joined the company in 2001 as executive VP of
marketing and brand strategy.

In addition to his work on individual series, Howe has
spearheaded a major overhaul of SCI FI’s brand strategy to redefine the genre
and make it more relatable to a broader audience. Furthermore, he was
instrumental in shaping SCI FI’s digital strategy, including the launch of the
network’s new broadband channel, SCI FI Pulse, the development of exclusive
digital programming and a new technology blog, DVICE.

Prior to joining SCI FI, Howe spent 15 years at the BBC in
London, rising to the position of head of the BBC’s on-air marketing and
creative services division.

"Dave has been an inspired contributor to SCI FI's
success since the day he joined the team," said Bonnie Hammer, the
president of USA Network and SCI FI Channel, to whom Howe reports. "The
channel is on a tremendous roll, and the energy, creativity and commitment Dave
brings to his new role can only accelerate the momentum."

−By Ned Berke